ABC News Delays Airing Plea by Hostage

By BILL CARTER

Published: August 4, 1989

ABC News, alone among the national television news organizations, refused yesterday to broadcast the videotaped plea for help by Joseph James Cicippio, an American hostage in Lebanon, in its special news bulletins.

ABC's decision was based on what Roone Arledge, the president of ABC News, called his concern that the network not be ''used as a vehicle by terrorists.''

ABC used only a 10-second clip from the video portion of the 98-second emotional message and did not broadcast Mr. Cicippio's voice. Peter Jennings, the ABC anchorman, described what Mr. Cicippio's message said. Later, however, the tape was shown in full on a special one-hour edition of the program ''Nightline.'' It was shown as part of a ''video briefing'' for former national security officials who were discussing the crisis.

CBS News, NBC News and Cable News Network all carried the entire videotape several times, but each time warned that Mr. Cicippio seemed to be reading from a statement, apparently under duress.

Mr. Arledge said ABC has been reluctant to broadcast such hostage messages since one of its correspondents, Charles Glass, had appeared as a hostage in such a videotape two years ago.

Mr. Arledge said that after Mr. Glass was released, he met with ABC News executives and told them that carrying such messages ''hurt the hostages' position, because it was doing exactly what the captors wanted.''

On Monday, ABC News also decided against airing a videotape that terrorists asserted showed Lieut. Col. William R. Higgins after his hanging that day. The network cited reasons of taste and respect for Colonel Higgins in its decision. ABC did use a small part of the audio portion of Mr. Cicippio's statement, in which he indicated that the terrorists were threatening to kill more than one hostage, on last night's newscast. Mr. Arledge said ABC had carried this segment ''because it was news.''